G.91YS: Turning and Burning

The G.91Y is a further development of the successful Italian G.91 fighter which considerably improved the aircraft’s flight characteristics. Coming to War Thunder as part of update 1.87 “Locked on!”, Italian pilots may look forward to their first rank VI aircraft, represented by a prototype version of the G.91Y. Pilots, meet the G.91YS!

Briefly: A further developed G.91, featuring a twin-engine configuration which substantially improved the aircraft’s speed and handling.

During the 1960s, Fiat began developing a successor to their previous G.91 fighter, which had thus far managed to obtain a favorable reputation with its operators. Fiat based their new aircraft heavily on the two-seat trainer version of the G.91 and decided outfit the aircraft with two General Electric J85 afterburning engines contrary to the preceding single-engine G.91.

Additionally, the aircraft’s fuselage and wings were enlarged to accomodate for the bigger powerplant and improve handling characteristics, while a slew of other tweaks and upgrades further enhanced the aircraft’s overall design. The new G.91Y performed its maiden flight in December 1966. Testing revealed minor aerodynamic issues which would be resolved on subsequent production aircraft with only minor redesigns.

Production of the G.91Y began with an initial order for 20 pre-production machines, following the manufacturing of two prototypes. This order would eventually go up to 75 aircraft, although only 67 including the initial prototypes were delivered in the end. By the mid 1970s, all outstanding orders for the G.91Y were fulfilled and production had ceased for this variant.

The G.91Y served exclusively with Italian squadrons up until the early 1990s, before being replaced by a more modern counterpart.

The G.91YS was a single prototype conversion of the G.91Y, which followed a requirement issued by the Swiss Air Force. The aircraft allowed installation of American Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and a Swedish weapons control system. This special prototype first flew in October 1970, but was eventually not accepted into service by the Swiss. The prototype was converted back into service as a regular G.91Y.

In War Thunder, the G.91YS will be the first rank VI aircraft coming to the Italian aviation tree with the release of the upcoming update 1.87 “Locked on!”. Despite having the designation “G.91”, the G.91YS is in fact an entirely different aircraft and not just a minor variant of the existing machine in the game. Despite this, the G.91YS still shares some of the signature features of the popular “Ginas” such as excellent maneuverability and combining them with specific features found exclusively at rank VI aviation.

For starters, the G.91YS is in fact a twin-engine fighter, unlike the classic versions of the G.91 which were all single-engine. As such, the G.91YS is fitted with two General Electric J85 afterburning turbojet engines, which generate 18.15 kN of thrust with the afterburners engaged. With such power, the G.91YS isn’t quite able to reach supersonic speeds, but still manages to get up to a respectable top speed of 1109 km/h at sea level.

While certainly not being the fastest of all rank VI aircraft in the game, the G.91YS makes up for this by providing its pilots with exceptional maneuverability similar to previous versions of the G.91. The G.91YS retains this signature agility thanks to its more powerful engines and the addition of leading edge slats which improve the aircraft’s maneuverability despite increases in size and weight.

Fun Fact: The “Y” suffix in the G.91’s designation comes from the shape of the split air intake.

Unlike its predecessor, the G.91YS is fitted with a pair of 30mm DEFA cannons with 125 rounds available per gun. Known for their destructiveness and rapid rate of fire, the DEFA cannons will yield handsome results for every pilot that has mastered the skills of accuracy and trigger discipline.

The G.91YS also retains the ability to be used as a light attack aircraft, having the ability to mount both a variance of unguided rocket types and bomb calibers of up to 1000 lbs. Also, a special feature of this Italian aircraft variant in particular, the G.91YS is also able to carry a pair of American Sidewinder air-to-air missiles under its outer wing pylons.

That being said, keep your eyes and ears wide open for more information on the next update coming to the game. Until then, clear skies pilots!

Pre-order - Fiat G.91 R/4 Pack

The Kit Includes:

Fiat G.91 R/4 (Rank 5 Italy) - available after 1.87 update;

Premium account for 15 days;

2000 Golden Eagles;

Pre-order bonus: camouflage of the 702 squadron "Escorpiões" of Portuguese Air Force;

This offer is available for PC, Mac and Linux users. New packs will be available on the PS4 and Xbox One platforms after the release of update 1.87. PS4 and Xbox One players will be able to receive pre-order bonuses in the first two weeks of the new packs sale start.

Comments (85)

Nice. Will they also get G.91Y in the future?
Same with Fiat G801B/3B/82. Aerfer Ariete & Aerfer Ariete? Italy do need more jets. And at least i would prefer Italian made. Over US copy pasta.
And will Germany get the G.91R/3 Single-seat ground-attack, reconnaissance version for the Luftwaffe. Armed with two 30 mm (1.181 in) DEFA cannons? Would fit nicely after ME 262 A-1/U4.

Maybe (wild guess) it didn't use AS.20's ?
Tbh, it looks like the Portugese R/4 actually should not have either AA.20 or AS.20, since they only ever were in service in France, Italy, Germany and South Africa. That might change before the live server.